It is now officially mid-spring and everything has burst into bloom. The last magnolia flowers are colliding with the first of the dogwood blooms, not to mention the unfurling of the first lilacs. Fluffy double cherry blossoms weigh down branches, while ornamental plums and pears strut their stuff in slightly more decorous fashion. Amid all … Read more
Real spring is days away, no matter what is happening with the weather. In the meantime, most of us celebrate the signs of the new season that are popping up everywhere. As the giant Dutch crocuses open their trumpets to blast the spring news, I pour used cat litter down the groundhog hole to let … Read more
My aunt was a serial hobbyist, and one of her hobby phases was macrame. Since she was always an avid gardener, many of her knotted creations were plant hangers. In fact, before she moved on to other hobbies, her kitchen looked like a suburban version of the hanging gardens of Babylon. She would have loved … Read more
Winter has gone on long enough for most of us, and I am thankful that daylight is now making its tentative return. Right now the remains of the last snowstorm have kept many of my slumbering plants under a white blanket. Despite that, I am starting to feel the seasonal urge to get out and … Read more
In the realm of dreams, goals and visions, the idea of scattering annual poppy seeds on snow is probably not very high on anyone’s list. But I have never managed to do it, so it has remained a gardening goal for years now. Some years I have had seeds but no snow. Some years I … Read more
